Between 13 and 15 February 1945, the Allied air forces bombed the German city of Dresden four times. The entire city was destroyed.
As they used firebombs, the German population was not even safe in the air-raid shelters. Over 20,000 people died and many more were injured. Most of Dresden’s historic city centre was destroyed. This bombardment was one of many strategic bombardments carried out by the Allies. They did not attack specific targets but entire cities. They wanted to destroy the German infrastructure and industry and break the spirit of the German people. By causing as much damage and inflicting as many casualties as possible, they hoped to bring the war to a quick end.
The Germans saw the bombardment as proof of the cruelty of the Allies, their enemies. They called it 'terror bombing’.
